Business and Trade Committee

Economic security is national security. But is the UK’s economic security regime fit for the future? That is the question which the new Subcommittee on Economic Security has examined over the last eight months. We'll be discussing the findings on Monday at RUSI my.rusi.org/events/toward-a-…

The Business and Trade Committee's London Roundtable has just kicked off - it's the final stop in our listening tour. We've been hearing from businesses around the country about the action they need (and what they don't need) to promote growth, jobs, ambition and British brilliance in their industries. We'll now hear from London! We'll take these lessons from business and use them to inform our Committee's workplan for 2026 and find out what is really behind the UK's growth problem. We're taking evidence until Friday 5th December so do let us know what you think via the link below 👇

At our fourth stop on the @CommonsBTC road trip, and the conversations at The University of Sheffield AMRC highlight a common theme we’ve seen on the road so far: certainty and stability aren’t just nice to have - they’re a competitive advantage for the UK if we get them right. Businesses are clear that infrastructure matters, but it’s not just about the big headline projects. Getting the smaller, everyday pieces right, and building energy infrastructure to bring costs down, makes a real difference. People remain at the heart of the discussion - getting the right talent, building effective apprenticeship pipelines, and managing the impact of labour costs and national insurance contributions. Investment is moving in the right direction, but questions remain about how R&D tax credits can best incentivise the uptake of new technologies, particularly AI. Scale-up finance is still a bottleneck, operating costs remain high, and red tape continues to slow progress. Businesses want more red carpet, less red tape. Public procurement, export finance, and navigating the platform economy all came up as levers to drive growth, but SMEs are worried about some platforms making the landscape uncompetitive. Regional governance matters too: devolution of economic power and a clear regional mission will help ensure investment is strategic, targeted, and effective. Thanks to those who attended the Sheffield roundtable, I’m now calling on business leaders to fill in our questionnaire. Your insight will feed into our priorities report for the BTC 2026 work-plan, helping shape policies that support growing businesses, regional economies, and the wider UK economy. #IndustrialPolicy #BusinessGrowth #RegionalInvestment #TalentDevelopment #BTC2026 #ScaleUps #Infrastructure #UKBusiness #EconomicGrowth #Innovation #RDTaxCredits #EnergyCosts #Apprenticeships

Lincoln marks the third stop on the road for the @CommonsBTC . Here, the focus is on building the right conditions for local and international talent to thrive while making sure infrastructure keeps pace with ambition. Businesses tell me that certainty and predictability in the investment environment are critical - especially when it comes to tax and regulatory changes. Scale-up finance is improving, but operating costs are still too high, and we need to ensure incentives to invest aren’t undermined as we continue the progress we’ve made. There’s a strong appetite to speed up decision-making and give industrial policy a sharper regional focus. Businesses support the goals, but there’s often confusion about how national policies link to local priorities. Getting this right matters: a clearer, more predictable system encourages investment, nurtures talent, and helps our regions compete globally. Thanks to all those who joined us at the University of Lincoln roundtable - I’m now calling on business leaders to fill in our survey. Your insight will help shape the priorities report for our 2026 work-plan, ensuring the next phase of policy reflects the real needs of growing businesses and regional economies. #IndustrialPolicy #BusinessGrowth #RegionalInvestment #TalentDevelopment #ScaleUps #Infrastructure #UKBusiness #EconomicGrowth

🚗 Our second stop on the Business and Trade Committee road trip took us to Derby, hearing directly from businesses about the challenges they’re facing and the opportunities they see ahead. We heard a clear message about what’s needed to help businesses grow. Free trade agreements must work in practice, not just on paper, so businesses can see real export opportunities. There’s a need for a clear and predictable procurement pipeline that gives firms the confidence to plan ahead and invest. And skills remain key - with better work experience and apprenticeship routes to get the right people into the right jobs, alongside an Employment Rights Bill that works for both employers and employees. Underpinning this was a strong call for stability and smarter regulation. Businesses want certainty so they can invest, innovate and grow. These conversations are invaluable. They help shape the recommendations we’ll make to Government on what’s really needed to help UK businesses succeed. If you’re a business leader, I’d really value your input too - you can share your views through our short survey below to help inform the Committee’s work. #BusinessAndTrade #UKEconomy #SmallBusiness #Growth #Skills #Exports #Investment #Innovation

Today we kicked off the work of our new @CommonsBTC subcommittee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls with meetings at DBT’s Joint Export Control Unit. A huge thanks to @TanDhesi @CommonsDefence and @RichardFoordLD for joining us Read more about our work & our new economic security Inquiry here: committees.parliament.uk/com…

🏁Final stop of our @CommonsBTC UK engagement tour in Glasgow! @UofGlasgow 🎉 Excellent final session highlighting ideas for our work from planning, workforce, skills, immigration, investment, start-ups, scale-ups, infrastructure, connectivity - grid, digital, transport, social - cost of doing business, the Budget, trade deals from the EU to India & China. 🗣 Want to have your say? Share your thoughts here: buff.ly/3Zd9QTY

🏁3rd stop of our @CommonsBTC UK engagement tour in Oxford! @UniofOxford 🎉 Brilliant to spend an evening with Oxford Policy Engagement Network @BlavatnikSchool drawing on a wealth of ideas, research and fresh thinking! 🗣 Want to have your say? Share your thoughts here: buff.ly/3Zd9QTY

“🏁 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 2nd stop of our @CommonsBTC UK engagement tour in Cardiff! @cardiffbusiness 🎉 Some great, clear views about opportunities of the future - especially digital/ green/ transition plus candid views on priorities from skills, infrastructure, planning reform, a joined up industrial strategy, encouragement for entrepreneurs and pro-small business regs & tax. 🗣 Want to have your say? Share your thoughts here: buff.ly/3Zd9QTY

🏁 First stop of the @CommonsBTC UK engagement tour complete! 🎉 Fantastic to hear such insightful, thoughtful, and inspiring contributions from businesses across the South West. 🗣 Want to have your say? Share your thoughts here: buff.ly/3Zd9QTY

Truly honoured to be re-elected as Chair of @CommonsBTC. A huge thank you to colleagues across the House for their confidence in the work we started - and will now step up in this new Parliament!

Sorry seemed to be the hardest word. But, finally, we got an apology from Wilko boss Lisa Wilkinson for the failures that led to 12,000 workers losing their jobs Today’s hearing: 👇#Wilko @CommonsBTC @GMB_union

Today @CommonsBTC sets out the tests the #AutumnStatement MUST meet to fix the UK’s huge ‘gigagap’ which, if we don’t act, imperils TENS OF THOUSANDS of jobs in the UK car industry 👀 READ our report here: committees.parliament.uk/pub…